AZO-Azeroth Online
by James Eisenhart
Summary: What if Kayaba Akihiko worked for Blizzard instead of Argus, & created the virtual equivalent of WoW in which to set the Death Game? Welcome to Azeroth Online! From here on in, factions do not matter, only survival.Rated M for violence, adult situations, & possible lemons later on. I own nil. R&R if you feel so inclined, constructive criticism is welcome.
1. Prologue- Launch Day

**AN:** _Sword Art Online_ and the characters therein are the property and creations of Reki Kawahara and abec. Publishing rights belong to ACSII Media Works, Yen Press, Dengeki Bunko, Madman Entertainment, A-1 Pictures, Tokyo MX, Aniplex, Manga Entertainment, and Adult Swim/Toonami. _The World of Warcraft_ and the characters, lore, mechanics, etc are all the creations of Blizzard Entertainment. I hold no ownership rights to this title whatsoever, and I never will, sadly. I am simply writing this story as a leisurely past time, and because I am a humble fan of this title simply telling a story.

Okay, now that the legal bullsh!t is out of the way, let's get to what you guys came here for then. This idea spawned from a conversation a friend of mine and I had a while back while questing in WoW. I'm something of a casual player, by the way, so please forgive me if I get some of the lore and terminology wrong at times. Anyhow, we've been watching SAO for some time now, and regardless of the fact that I often forget I even have a WoW account, I always marvel at how great the world and the history behind it is set up, and my friend and I constantly find things in world and dream about how awesome it would look in Virtual Reality/with NerveGear. Thus, this story came into being. A sort of "What If?" scenario, where Akihiko Kayaba worked for Blizzard Entertainment instead of Argus, and created the Warcraft equivalent of Sword Art Online for his death game. How will this change the story of SAO? What will be the outcome of this savage campaign to clear the game? How will our heroes change over the course of the death game?

Read on to find out, my friends! I hope you enjoy the story, and that there will hopefully be more of it to come in the near future! (You never know when writer's block will strike. Dun-dun-DUNNNNN!)

(Note, at **(1)**, play the Cataclysm soundtrack's revamped version of the _"Stormwind"_ instrumental/theme.)

* * *

**Prologue.**

_**Time: **__Sunday, November 6th, 2022, 12:54pm._

* * *

_**Click**_

"- our continued coverage of the much anticipated launch of what critics are calling a "ground-breaking success for virtual reality interaction and communication." That's right, we're talking about the most sought-after game of the year, **Azeroth Online!** Before the break, we saw a promo for Blizzard Entertainment's latest endeavor, and already all 400,000 copies have sold out after last week's record-breaking release. With the first copies flying off the shelves, the dev-team at Blizzard says that they're looking forward to feedback from the fans after today's official launch, which began at 12:00pm Eastern Standard Time, US. Based off this footage from last week's blow out, fans both new and old can be expected to chime in on this monumental undertaking."

"Tch!"

Kazuto Kirigaya winced in discomfort as he pulled his thumb away from the manual, a thin red line of blood already seeping forth from the papercut as he lifted it to his lips to nurse the wound. However, his eyes remained fixed on the player's guide in his opposing hand, skimming over the words of wisdom from the game's head-programmer and designer, Kayaba Akihiko. It still boggled Kazuto's mind that a twenty-eight year-old like Kayaba could craft a masterpiece like _AZO_, and yet it was also encouraging. After all, he liked to think of the two of them as being a lot alike.

"-Up 'til now," continued the energetic reporter on _The MMO Stream_, the TV and her enthused commentary merely background noise at this point, as Kazuto continued to thumb through the guide- if a bit more cautiously now, "None of the NerveGear software we've seen has taken advantage of the possibilities of the hardware, but the devs at Blizzard say that they're willing to go that extra-mile and push the limits to bring gamers across the world that one of a kind experience that can only be found in AZO."

"Hey, Kazuto!" The young gamer's head shot up from his reading at the sound of his cousin's voice through his door, a small smile crossing his lips. A quick glance at the clock told him she would be heading off to kendo practice, and was just swinging by to let him know he'd have the house to himself.

"No worries, Suguha!" he grinned, putting down the manual on his desk. He'd already finished reading it the night before, too anxious to get any real sleep. This was just a quick recap of the info, in case there was something added onto the game since the beta. "I'll hold down the fort, you just worry about practice and have fun, okay?"

A short giggle was his answer, followed by, "Right, I'll do my best. Thanks, Kazuto! I'll see you later!"

The sound of retreating footsteps heralding her flight from the house, the black-haired teen rose from his seat to get one last peek of his little sister from his bedroom window as she rushed out the front door and disappeared around the fence at the end of the path. A sense of brotherly pride at the thought of Suguha kicking ass and taking names with her _shinai_, Kazuto returned to setting things up for his descent into AZO, the MMO Stream continuing its coverage as he checked the modem's wireless connection and made sure the LAN lights on his brand new NerveGear headset were on. A quick inspection of the wires told him they were in working order as well, no frays or tears in the lining either.

_'Man, Blizzard really pulled out all the stops for launch date, huh?'_ Kazuto thought as he inspected the NerveGear. _'They promised Next-Gen FullDive technology, and damn if they didn't deliver, and then some.'_

"-by the inventor of NerveGear, Akihiko Kayaba. This is the VMMORPG me and the beta-testers have been waiting for! Ugh, I wish I could've gotten one! The fans who camped out in line- some of them for three whole days- snapped them up faster than you could blink, and online, the game sold out in seconds!"

_**Click.**_

The room went silent as Kazuto went through the last mental checklist and settled down on his bend, blinds half-open to allow shafts of sunlight into the room, which was now a distinct bluish hue through the NerveGear's visor. Satisfied everything was in order, he closed his eyes and activated the headset. A steady hum in his ears grew louder and louder with each passing second, a small countdown chirping in as the game loaded and the internal battery came to life. An excited smirk played at the sides of his mouth.

This was it.

His eyes closed groggily, as though sleep were pulling his consciousness away from the real world and into the new one that awaited him in the 'Net.

"Link, Start!"

And with that, the world disappeared in a flash of white, only for his eyes to be assaulted with incoming rods of color, which gave way to small displays on the visual HUD before him. One by one, they went green as they confirmed the sensory perception translation and link with his nervous system. The language selection option appeared and immediately went to "Japanese" with but a thought. He knew Blizzard would have a cross-language translation software in play for the game, so anyone he met in-world from a server on a different continent could be understood and vice-versa, so it wasn't that big a deal.

It took all of three seconds for him to mentally log into his NerveGear's account and accept the scrolling terms of agreement. Of course, his screenname- «Kirito»_-_ was displayed instead of his real name, but he had expected as much. With that formality out of the way, the scene before him transitioned from a blank space of white, to a lush green temperate forest atop a windswept hill, overlooking a spacious valley. Down below was a large medieval city, teeming with life, and far overhead, the spine-tingling calls of dragons could be heard as they flew towards the sprawling, sea-side metropolis. The entire scene was punctuated by a truly inspired soundtrack, more than worthy of introducing the player to this exciting world. Overhead hung the words:

_**WELCOME TO AZEROTH ONLINE!**_

Then, with a rush of pixels and data, the time to create his new in-game persona had arrived, and before him stood the options for the character creation screen. While he was a newcomer to the old formula of Blizzard's massive _World of Warcraft_ universe, he had a general understanding of how the game worked from his time in the beta-testing stages. With the creation of AZO, the faction war between the Horde and the Alliance had been somewhat resolved, and though tensions were high between the races of either side, players were now able to visit the cities and realms of both. However, they were still branded as either Alliance or Horde based on the races they picked at this point in the game. Thirteen in all, each option hovered a few feet off the ground before him as he cycled through them with a contemplative look, debating which to choose. He had already played as several during the beta, though he had always been more comfortable as a human. Plus, all of his characters from the beta had been dropped in lieu of giving him a fresh start for the launch date and making him on an even keel with the other players, so it wasn't like he could recycle an old persona now.

So, in the end, the human race was what he end up choosing, selecting an appearance similar to his own- albeit with the look of a twenty-something Kazuto- right down to his unkempt black hair and lean body-type. When creating AZO, the devs had decided to include the "body-type" option in the character creation screen, both due to suggestions from some of the more vocal players and the advice of the virtual edition's creator, Kayaba Akihiko. Now when players chose classes with a more agility or speed based skill-set, they had the option of an appearance that suited such a task, as opposed to the down-right goofy sight of what amounted to a ninja with the build of Conan the Barbarian. However, despite his lithe frame, the newly dubbed Kirito chose a strength-oriented class, particularly due to its leveling options later down the road.

The Warrior.

With the creation process complete, a slight tingle washed over Kirito as his body changed into that of his AZO Avatar. A quick glance at his hands told him it had worked, and a slight pinging noise drew his eyes to a new window that had appeared.

_Please select your starting town._

A list of major cities in the Alliance territories appeared beneath the prompt, each sounding more tempting than the last as he skimmed through them. Over the course of the beta, he'd had a chance to explore the major hubs of both the Alliance and Horde factions, and each one had its own charm to it in some way or another. Regardless, he settled on the most prominent name he remembered from the beta, one he'd had _way_ more fun exploring during that month in between questing and leveling. A flash of light engulfed the world around him, and when it faded, the grassy hilltop and valley below disappeared...

**(1)** Only to be replaced mere seconds later with the sights and sounds of a bustling metropolis. The cheers and laughter of arriving players filled the air, and the whole city was alight with excitement and anticipation. Players of every race available milled about him on all sides, from normal humans like himself, to graceful Night Elves with elegant strides, ferocious Worgen panting with boundless enthusiasm, hearty dwarves with full beards, and diminutive gnomes that darted between the legs of the taller races. There were even a few Horde players among the crowds, a number of them old-school players interested in the reactions they would get appearing in an Alliance city without being attacked on the spot. Peaceful Tauren with braided manes, ghoulish Forsaken half-rotted away, sneering goblins with greedy eyes, fiercely attired Darkspear trolls in warpaint, and more than a few Orcs. Pandaren players of either faction also moved excitedly through the crowds of players and NPCs alike, their large frames belying the nimble agility and grace of the meditative ursine warriors.

Kirito watched this scene unfold before him from the middle of the bridge in what he knew from the beta as the **«Valley of Heroes»**, surrounded on either side by massive statues of the greatest champions of the Alliance, each striking a heroic pose, forever engraved as legends of this realm for their descent into Draenor to seal the dimensional rift from that side.

To the left was Kurdan Wildhammer of the Northeron Dwarves, Thane of Aerie Peak, and Archmage Khadgar of the Kirin Tor. And to the right were Force Commander Danath Trollbane- whose visage was immaculately restored to its former glory, following the assault of the dragon Deathwing during the Cataclysm expansion- and the High Elf Ranger-Captain Alleria Winderunner. And just ahead of him, at the very end of the bridge into the city proper, was none other than General Turalyon himself, sword and shield in hand as a warning to those who would threaten the peace and sanctity of the city.

The great city of the Alliance, known as **«Stormwind»**

So surreal...

It was all just so incredibly surreal.

"Hello world," said the young Warrior with a giddy demeanor and stupidly excited grin, "I'm back!"

* * *

**AN:** And thus begins our intrepid young hero's journey into the realm of Azeroth Online! What adventures await him on launch day? Who will he meet? What portions of Stormwind will he explore? We'll find out soon enough, so stay tuned for more as the story develops! I hope you've enjoyed the prologue for this story, because there's more to come, I assure you. I'll do my best to update in a timely fashion, but please remember that I do have a life outside fanfiction. Between it, college, work, and all the other ups-and-downs of life (not to mention chronic bouts of writer's block), things can get a little hectic here. Still, I want to do my best to try and continue this story. Please remember to leave a review if you feel so inclined (constructive criticism is welcome, flames are doused, and trolls are sacrificed to Bwonsamdi or cannibalized, lol), and I'll see you guys next time. Take care out there! EXCELSIOR!


	2. Learning Curves

**AN:** _Sword Art Online_ and the characters therein are the property and creations of Reki Kawahara and abec. Publishing rights belong to ACSII Media Works, Yen Press, Dengeki Bunko, Madman Entertainment, A-1 Pictures, Tokyo MX, Aniplex, Manga Entertainment, and Adult Swim/Toonami. _The World of Warcraft_ and the characters, lore, mechanics, etc are all the creations of Blizzard Entertainment. I hold no ownership rights to this title whatsoever, and I never will, sadly. I am simply writing this story as a leisurely past time, and because I am a humble fan of this title simply telling a story.

Okay, now that the legal bullsh!t is out of the way, it's time to move on and get the story rolling. When last we left young Kirito, he had just logged into AZO in the great Alliance city of Stormwind. With launch day in full swing, what adventures await our hero as he braves the wild and wonderful world of Azeroth in all its virtual splendor? He had better find out quickly, for all is not well in this strange new world, and it's about to come to a head very soon. What is this catastrophe you may ask? Well, what are you sitting around here for?! Read on to find out!

**IMPORTANT NOTE! - **Also, in reviews, please refrain from requests to "Update soon," or any variation of that phrase. It gets annoying, and it won't make me go any faster. Things progress as they do at their own pace. You can't rush writing, or you get sloppy stories, poorly-written plots, and crappy characterization, and no one wants that, trust me on this one. Anyhow, on with the story!

(Note: at **(1)**, play the _Cataclysm_ track for the _"Azuremyst Isle"_ ambient instrumental/theme. At **(2)**, play the _Mists of Pandaria_ track for _"Mogu'shan Palace."_)

* * *

**Chapter One: Learning Curves.**

_**Time: **__Sunday, November 6th, 2022, 1:34pm._

_**Location:**_ _AZO, __**«Stormwind City».**_

* * *

"Teach you?" parroted a surprised Kirito, eyebrow quirked in bemused intrigue at the Worgen before him.

"Yeah, I mean, you're one of the beta-testers, right?" The werewolf was dressed in similar Warrior attire to his own, with a few customary additions that Kirito could only assume he'd purchased from the vendor NPCs in the «Trade District». The one that stood out, however, was the red headband cinched tightly across his forehead, mirroring the slight reddish tint of his fur. Because of the height difference, the sight of a ferocious worgen with its head bowed and hands clasped in a pleading manner to a human nearly a head or two shorter than him was quite laughable, though Kirito had the tact not to offer anything more insulting than a subtle smirk.

"Yeah, that's right, why?" The young gamer crossed his arms as the worgen broke his begging posture and placed a hand on his shoulders.

"Then we can help each other out, that's why!" The ginger werewolf flashed him a toothy grin, jerking a thumb at his chest as he did. "You can teach me how to use the new NerveGear... geared, combat engine, and I can show you some of the better hunting spots around here where we can practice 'em! They're great for grinding and getting more XP, especially at our levels just starting out."

Now that got Kirito's attention. He'd been a beta-tester after all, so he should've known where the best spots to level up were in the game. And yet, this guy was saying there were some places he'd overlooked? But that would mean... He took another look at the character name floating over his furred companion's head and his suspicions were confirmed, not to mention his curiosity was piqued. The text was a royal blue, indicating he was one of the veteran Alliance players that had pre-ordered AZO through _battle-net_ and been allowed to port his characters and guild membership over to the virtual edition to _Warcraft_, albeit with stats at the same level as the new-comers, so there was no real segregation between players. It read:

_«Klein»  
__**«Fellowship of the Crimson Fang»**_

_'Hmm... This might be worth checking out.'_ Kirito pondered Klein's offer for a moment, debating whether or not to humor the ginger-furred Worgen. _'Not only will I get a leg up on the other players and level up faster, but I can dig up some tips I can give Argo for that guidebook she said she was cooking up for the new players back in the beta. Besides,'_ he glanced back up at the smiling wolfman, that good-nature of his incredibly infectious if the smile on Kirito's own face was any indication, _'He seems like an okay guy. And a little guided tour couldn't hurt, especially if it's by someone who knows the area.'_

"Alright, count me in," Kirito agreed, opening his menu to invite Klein into their two-man party, setting the loot divvy up to "free-for-all," just to be fair. If Klein's avatar had a tail, he was almost certain it would be wagging with how happy the guy looked as he accepted the invite and the prompt appeared in their field of vision. Kirito offered his hand and introduced himself to his new friend, and Klein took it in his large paw as he did the same. It took a second for that fact to sink in, but for the first time since the beta began, Kirito had opened himself up to someone other than family. The first had been Argo, and now, his friends list had grown by one name. There was something... Comforting, about that, for some reason.

"Okay, let's get to it then!" Klein headed off in the direction opposite where Kirito had been running earlier when the worgen had stopped him, puzzling the human warrior for a moment before his canine compatriot realized he was lagging behind. "Come on man, hurry it up! The ferry's not gonna wait all day."

Growing more and more confused by the second, Kirito hastily sprinted to catch up with the much faster Klein, who loped ahead of him through throngs of players and NPCs alike. "Ferry? What ferry? To where?"

Klein looked over his shoulder at his fellow warrior, barely keeping up with his lupine stride. "«Darkshore», of course." Another grin full of pointed teeth and a thumbs-up. "The beaches around «Auberdine» spawn crabs like crazy, so it's a great place for hunting and gaining XP."

Shaking his head, Kirito couldn't help but feel the same amount of excitement his new furry friend was radiating at the moment. Sure, he was just as anxious to play the real game now as he had been after the beta had closed, but for someone like Klein, who had been playing for a long time, being able to finally see and experience a place you had only gotten to move a few keystrokes in by proxy, to actually be there in person? It had to be a major rush. Maybe that's how all the veteran players felt when they logged in for the first time?

Either way, with a new burst of energy, Kirito pushed himself faster as he caught up with the worgen and they made for the «Stormwind Harbor», the Night Elf territory of Darkshore as their destination.

* * *

_**Time: **__5:17pm._

_**Location:**_ _AZO, __**«Azure Watch».**_

* * *

_**Squelch!**_

"Screeeeee-!"

**(1) **With that screeching protest, another «Timberstrider» fell to the ground in defeat with an audible "thud," a wicked-looking throwing dagger imbedded in its head. Panting heavily, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth like... Well, like a worgen, Klein relaxed his «_Battle Stance_» and sheathed his sword before stooping down to loot the massive bird's corpse. Apparently this thing had taken to eating travelers that came to close to the «Moongraze Woods» around the Draenei settlement of «Azure Watch**»**, if the considerable amount of copper coins he'd found in its stomach were anything to go off. There were a couple of inconsequential grey items it had dropped, but Klein knew better than to stuff his inventory with something he wouldn't need later, and pocketed the copper. As he watched the money split between himself and Kirito, the sounds of his fellow warrior's scuffle continued.

"Hey," called the worgen over his shoulder as he rose to his feet and dusted off his trousers, "This guy's got nothing worth looting on him- except the cash, that is- you want any help?"

Behind him, Kirito struggled to push the «Infected Nightstalker Runt» off him, pinned under the cat's huge frame as it snarled and snapped at him.

"I got it!" Bringing his legs up, Kirito kicked the mutant cat in the gut with all his strength, sending the creature reeling backward as he scrambled hastily to his feet.

Dropping back into his own «_Battle Stance_», a rush of empowering rage flooded Kirito's body as the two circled one another, warily watching their opponent as they waited for one to make the first move. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, predatory instinct and the mind-shredding side-effects of ingested Exodar crystals won out, and the Runt leapt at him with a snarl. Ready to move as well, Kirito followed the same advice he'd given Klein a few short hours earlier back at Auberdine.

_'Concentrate on the ability you want to use, as naturally as if you knew it in real life. Make the initial motion. Hold it for a sec, and then just as you feel it activate,' _Kirito's eyes narrowed and his feet shifted as though he were about to push off. His whole body had a light glow to it as he lowered his sword so that it was level with the ground at his side. _'Drive it home!'_

The Runt had barely closed the distance between them when Kirito suddenly shot forward with a fierce battle-cry and all the speed he could muster, driving the sword into the big cat's side and slashing with all he had in him. Skidding to a stop, sword outstretched in front of him, the glow left his body as «_Victory Rush_» deactivated. A gurgling death-roar behind him confirmed the kill as the Infected Runt collapsed heavily to the forest floor. Catching his breath as the ability's healing side-effect took hold, Kirito sheathed his sword and turned to retrieve his kill, but not before high-fiving Klein, the worgen sporting a proud smile at his friend's victory.

"Nice work, man." Klein sat down on the hillside as Kirito went to work collecting his share from the Runt. "Bet you're glad we picked up those quests earlier instead of sticking to hunting, huh?"

"Definitely." Kirito smiled earnestly as he retrieve an ample amount of cash from the Runt, along with a small «Faintly Glowing Crystal», which he let go, having finished that quest for «_**Exarch Menelaous**_» at least an hour earlier. "Great «_Throw_», by the way." He gestured to the fallen Timberstrider as it started to fade into pixels. "Caught the bastard right between the eyes with that one. Very impressive for someone on their first FullDive."

Klein grinned at that, reclining in the grass as his human friend joined him at his side. "Hey, come on, man. I wouldn't even know how to do half the stuff we've learned today without your help."

"No kidding," joked Kirito with a chuckle, earning him a playful punch in the arm from his worgen companion.

"I'm serious, bro. I can't thank you enough for helping me out with this." His hand drifted to the sword at his hip, grin widening as he closed his fingers around the grip. "You were right though, it is kind of addictive, being able to move your body and fight for real."

"Told you, and it only gets better the further you level up."

"Oh yeah?" Klein quirked an eyebrow at his friend. "And how far did you make it in the beta?"

Kirito shrugged dismissively. "No further than Level 39, to be honest."

"Still, all things considered, that's not half bad for someone who's never played before, especially on this level of immersion." Klein pushed himself to his feet and worked out the kinks in one of his shoulders, if only for show, since he hadn't really strained anything in the game. "I don't remember it taking this long to complete quests and level up at this stage in the original version of WoW."

"That's because here, we have to do all the walking and fighting ourselves, instead of by proxy through our avatars," Kirito explained as he flexed his hands at his side, still marveling at how real it felt. "Here, we get to live the adventure, experience the world of Azeroth first hand, and every second of effort we put into it makes it that much more rewarding when we finally move further in the game."

"I'll say." Klein scanned the setting sun on the horizon of «Azuremyst Isle» with a nostalgic look in his eye, the beautiful forest of Moongraze stretched out before him with the towering visage of the draenei capital looming large in the distance against the reddening skyline. "I mean, we're _inside_ a game, bro!" He placed a hand on Kirito's shoulder and shook it lightly, as if doing so would pass on his enthusiasm, and in a sense, it kind of worked. "And not just any game, but _the_ game. The MMO to end all MMOs! Even being here, it still blows me away."

"Sounds like you've been waiting for this for some time."

"You know it, man!" Klein continued talking as they headed back towards «Azure Watch» just up the hill, that far-away look on his face as they continued. "When I was a kid, my mom introduced me to the original _WoW_ when we went to the U.S. on one of her business trips. She's been a player since before she moved to Japan and married my dad, and whenever she talked about it, it was like... Like she had this life about her that wasn't there before. When I sat down and played it myself, I finally got what she'd been talking about. And now, finally being here, in the game, on Azeroth for real? It's just amazing! Makes me glad I was born when I was, you know?" Realizing he'd said to much, Klein apologized and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry man, didn't mean to give you the whole "backstory treatment" right off the bat."

"Hey, no worries, man," Kirito reassured him as they made it to the checkpoint outside the settlement. "I totally get what you're talking about though. I've been into computers and MMOs ever since I was a kid, but for some reason, I never quite got around to playing the original _WoW._ So, when the chance came to beta AZO, I caved and decided to see what the hype was all about. After my first couple quests, I finally understood what everyone had been going on about all this time." At this, Kirito unsheathed his sword and began inspecting the blade wistfully, as though it were an extension of his very soul. "From then on, AZO was all I could think about, day and night. Here, it doesn't matter what class you pick, what race you belong to, what way you choose to play. In this world, anything from a simple sword to a mere word whispered in earnest, can take you on the adventure of a lifetime. And even though this is a virtual world, I feel more alive here than I ever did IRL."

Klein smiled knowingly, fangs gleaming in the evening light as his friend sheathed his blade once more. "So, you wanna do some more ques-"

_Groooowwwllll-gle_

Both players paused for a second at the audible grumbling of the worgen's stomach, before bursting into a fit of chuckles. "Guess we should probably put a pin in that idea," reasoned a slightly embarrassed Klein, "at least until I get back from demolishing that pizza I ordered earlier."

"Too bad the food in-game doesn't sate real-world hunger, huh?" Kirito patted the leather pouch at his side he'd gotten from one of the vendors in Stormwind's «Trade District» earlier in the day, remembering the snacks he'd picked up from «Odyseus' Landing» on Azuremyst's shoreline.

"I hear that, and that's why I called ahead for a delivery at 5:30pm!"

"Nice, way to think ahead."

"Thanks, bro. Besides, the game'll still be here after I eat, right?"

"... Yeah, that's true," Kirito conceded somewhat disappointedly. He'd been looking forward to hanging out with his new friend for at least an hour and a half more, until his family's dinner was normally set. _'Still, I guess that's just life. Getting in the way of something you'd much rather be doing, like having fun.'_

"Hey, man." Klein placed a hand on Kirito's shoulder, bringing the warrior out of his thoughts. "After dinner, I was planning to go meet up with some friends from the guild. I don't know what you're up to after this, but you're more than welcome to come and hang with us if you want. I mean, after all you've taught me today, it's the least I could do to pay you back. Besides, I'm sure the guys would love to have a new member in the guild." Seeing Kirito pause for a moment, his face a mask of doubt, the worgen quickly backpedaled the conversation a bit, realizing his offer to join a guild so early in the game, especially after just meeting, was probably a little imposing. "No, it's cool if you don't want to, no pressure or anything. Just thought you might like some company leveling up is all. I can always introduce you to them another time or something."

"Yeah, sorry." A slow nod of appreciation. "Thanks anyway though."

"Hey, come on, that's what friends are for, right?" Klein flashed another grin at that, offering the young gamer his hand. "Guess I'll... see you around then."

Kirito smiled softly, accepting the worgen's larger paw and shaking it firmly. "Yeah, feel free to message me if there's anything you want to know about the NerveGear."

"Sweet, I'll do that, and you be sure to message me if there's ever anything you want to know about Warcraft in general... Or if you need any items later on." Klein adjusted his wristguards slightly, the smile of a schemer spreading across his toothy maw. "I'm gonna level up my Blacksmithing soon, so I'll be able to make you some cool stuff, once I get the right recipes and blueprints."

That agreement settled on, Klein gave Kirito one last wave before calling up the main menu interface with an audible chime, swiping the air with his pinched thumb and index finger. However, just as Kirito turned to find the settlement's flight-master and head back to Stormwind...

"What the hell?" Klein wondered aloud, causing Kirito to turn back. "Where'd the log-out button go?

"It should be on the main menu," advised the beta-tester, readying to pull up his own interface to confirm if the same thing was happening to him as well, or not.

"... Nope. It's not there."

"It should be at the bottom-!?" A small seed of worry began to take root in Kirito's mind as he opened his menu, only to confirmed upon finding that his log-out option was also gone.

"See, it's not there."

"No, you're right, it's not." Kirito's eyes narrowed at the blank spot on his main menu, mentally kicking himself for not checking the system's basic elements before doing anything in the game. He'd just gotten so caught up in exploring and questing, he'd totally written it off as something the programmers and admins would've made 100% sure was working before even allowing the game to go to mass market. How could've been so stupid?! Still, that didn't matter now, not if what his gut was telling him was anything to go off. Something was very wrong here, and it wasn't just a menu glitch.

"Eh, no sweat," Klein reassured him, his voice betraying an equally shaken man beneath the carefree facade. "The game's what, a whole day out of beta? There's bound to be more than its fair share of bugs. Hell, even the original WoW wasn't without it's glitches back in the day. I'll bet the admins are freakin' out right now, scrambling to find out what's going on. Monkeys and typewriters, you know? Hehehehehe." That nervous laugh only further cemented his unease.

Which was quickly replaced with juvenile panic at the sight of the clock in his vision's HUD. It read 17:25 in military time, almost 5:30pm by his count. And that meant...

"NOOOOO! God damnit!" Klein raved, pulling at his furred head in exasperation, fighting back the urge to vent his frustration with an animalistic howl befitting his avatar. "My teriyaki-mayo pizza and ginger ale!"

"Hey man, calm down," Kirito reasoned hands raised in an attempt to placate his panicking friend. "Why don't we try contacting the GM? I'm sure they'll have way more info on what's going on than we will at this point."

Thankfully, his reasoning got through to the veteran Wowhead, and Klein stopped freaking out, though he still seemed a bit tense. "If you mean "GM" as in "Guild Master," you're looking at him," he joked rather poorly. "But if you mean AZO's Game Master, I tried giving him a ring while you were checking out your menu, and... Well, see for yourself."

Kirito moved to peer over Klein's shoulder- or around it as the case were, seeing as the worgen was much taller than him. Sure enough, the dropdown menu-tab for the Game Master was open, and the prompt read "Calling," with a little cellphone tower icon that repeated itself on a loop. Waiting for a good minute, nothing happened, and to Kirito, that was definitely not a good sign.

"Hey, you're the expert with NerveGear right?" Kirito tilted his head up at the worgen's question. "Do you know if there's another way to logout?"

The younger player's face turned grim, unsettling Klein even further, though he did his best to hide it. However, his pointed ears flattening against his head and the slight whimpering growing in his throat gave him away. "No, there isn't. Whenever a player wants to logout of AZO, the menu is the only way they can do it. No "Return" option, no "Escape Key," nothing. There isn't even an emergency logout in the menu, or listed in the game's manual either." Klein slowly started to lift his hands to his head, but stopped when Kirito shook his head discouragingly. "Don't bother, the NerveGear works by using a high-density microwave transceiver in the rig's interface to block signals to the rest of your nervous system, preventing you from moving around IRL while you play. Once you're hooked in, you're pretty much in a catatonic state until you logout, or someone on the outside removes it for you."

"But... I live alone," Klein sounded even more worried than before at that. "You?"

"My folks are at work, so they left me to hold down the fort, and my kid sister left for kendo practice hours ago." Kirito rubbed his arm nervously. "But I'm sure they'll notice I'm not back by the time Mom has dinner ready for us."

"Man, this is too weird." Klein's free hand instinctively went for his sword, tightening around the grip as he scrolled through the menu in search of the "Guild Chat" option. "I wonder if anyone else is dealing with this. Do you think the developers even know what's going on?"

Kirito shrugged. "If they did, they'd have made an announcement already, and probably shut down the server to log us all out."

Just as Klein was about to open the chat, the menu abruptly snapped closed with a sharp pinging sound, causing him to take a step back in shock. Before Kirito had time to ask what happened, both of them began to glow with a bizarre blue energy, crystalline sounds tinking through the air like ice breaking apart. And then, the world around them vanished in a burst of white light-

* * *

**(2) **Only to reappear once more when it faded, leaving the two even more confused than before at the sight around them. The tranquil woods of «Azuremyst Isle» had disappeared, giving way to a towering complex that rose up around them on all sides. In front of them was a massive staircase, leading up to a spectacular palace that bore the signature architecture and designs of imperial China. Further beyond the imposing castle stood a tall mountain range, and standing in groves surrounding the structure in which they found themselves were beautiful cherry blossom trees. As the evening breeze drifted gently through the branches, small pink petals were freed and danced gaily in the air.

The peaceful setting was a stark contrast to the storm of befuddlement that had grown within both Kirito and Klein, which only grew in intensity as they saw they weren't the only ones to be pulled away from their gameplay to this strange place. All around them, more and more blue lights appeared and then flickered out, leaving behind a startled player in their wake until the entire courtyard was filled with them, each looking about for some explanation as to why they were brought here. Had Kirito the time and ability, he would've ventured that every single player in AZO had been brought here. Some stood in the stone courtyard, others on the rooftops of adjacent pavilions, some sat on the railings around the reflecting pool and fountains, and there were even players sitting atop the great _Shíshī_ guardian statues.

"Someone forced a teleport," Kirito surmised as he followed his fellow gamer's example and looked around for an answer, finding only more confusion as he did. He could hear snippets of conversations and exclamations around him.

"What's going on?"

"Is this a World Event?"

"Maybe they're going to make an announcement about that bug?"

"I don't like this..."

"What the Hell? I had a quest to turn in! Someone better reimburse me for those items I lost, damnit."

"Just where are we anyway?"

"I know this place." Klein's voice broke Kirito out of his trance, regarding his worgen friend with a quizzical look. Realization spread across Klein's muzzle from his nose to his ears, which -while still flat against his head- now accompanied raised hackles across the back of his neck, belying agitation. "Yeah, I remember it from the original. This is «Mogu'shan Palace»! My guild and I did a raid here a while back, took us hours to finish. But why bring us here? None of us are anywhere near the level you need to make it through this dungeon, much less even _be_ in this part of «Pandaria» yet." Sensing his young comrade's gaze, Klein turned to explain himself. "«The Vale of Eternal Blossoms» isn't a place for leveling or grinding. It's only a subzone for dungeons like this one, and it's one of the highest from the _Mists of Pandaria _expansion before _Warlords of Draenor_ was released. So, why-?!"

Just as he opened his mouth to give the best attempt at an answer he could, Kirito froze. As did every other player around him when they noticed what he had.

His breath was misting.

From what he had read on Pandaria from veteran gamers on battle-net's forums and other beta-testers who had explored the realm, the island nation had a fairly temperate climate that- like other realms in AZO- was constantly kept in check by the system's real-time weather and seasonal simulation software. Right now, even though it was November in the real world, Pandaria shouldn't be experiencing temperatures low enough to cause this phenomenon, save at higher elevations, like in the mountains.

A steady clanking noise drew Kirito's attention, his head turning with everyone else' in its direction. Audible gasps of shock and fear could be heard, and more than once he saw someone take a step back in disbelief at what they were seeing. Beside him, Klein switched from confused anger to primal fear, frozen on the spot as his avatar's animal instincts took over again and whimpering could be heard. Amongst the crowd, several other experienced worgen began to follow his example.

"No way," breathed the ginger werewolf in awestruck fear. "That's... That's impossible. How? How is _He_ here?!"

The man in question strode through the crowd with his head held high and his steady gait full of purpose as players parted to allow him passage, like the Red Sea before Moses. However, Kirito knew by this man's appearance that he was anything but a benevolent prophet. He was dressed from head to toe in pale bluish-grey armor, spikes jutting from the shoulder-pads and gauntlets wickedly. His knees were gird in metal skulls, leading into furred boots that ended in metal sabatons. A dark blue cape billowed behind him as he walked, the very ground frosting over with ice with every step he took. Upon his head was a great helmet, spikes at the top reaching skyward like the spires of a metal crown, a jewel embedded on the forehead between his eyes, which constantly glowed an unearthly blue.

In his hand was a great sword, a series of glyphs inscribed on the metal blade, which gleamed menacingly in the dim light. On the hilt was a demonic-looking ram's skull, horns curved over the crossguard possessively.

High overhead, the silence was broken by a cackling bout of laughter and a rush of wind. The players looked up as one to behold a figure as it swooped down on huge, leathery batwings to buzz them, headed for the steps as the armored man before him. Once his companion reached the first terrace in the staircase, just high enough that he stood above the players like a god looking down on mankind from a great throne, the winged figure landed. He was tall and lithe, chiseled torso bared for the world to see, inscribed with tribal tattoos of elven origin. The elf-image continued with a pair of leather trousers that stopped at the ankles to reveal goatish, cloven hooves. Eyes burning green with sick pleasure, he looked out over the crowd of players and giggled madly. Jutting from his brow were a pair of curved horns, to mirror the _katar_ he held in either hand, serrated blades extending from the sides

_**KRU-CHYNG!**_

The ringing sound of metal biting stone shook the players from their daze as the malefic visage before them dug his sword into the stone of the terrace, his demon counterpart rising from the crouch he had landed in to stand beside him with wings folded, licking his lips. As the players stared at the duo, a booming voice issued from the faceless countenance of the armored man.

"Attention! Heroes of the Alliance, Warriors of the Horde. Players one and all." A sinister smile could be heard in his tone as he continued. "I am Akihiko Kayaba, head programmer and creator of AZO." A turn of the hand gestured to his horned companion, who dramatically flared his wings once more, as if to punctuate and burn his image in their minds. "And this is my associate, Nobuyuki Sugou, head of Blizzard Entertainment's FullDive R&D Department."

"However," Kayaba returned his hands to the pommel of his sword. "From here onwards, you may refer to me as _**«The Lich King»**_, and Nobuyuki-san as _**«Illidan Stormrage» **_of _**«The Dark Scourge»**_, your new opponents in AZO."

Kayaba spread his arms wide theatrically, cape snapping about ominously behind him.

"Welcome, to my world. As of this moment, _We are in control!_"

* * *

**AN:** ... Whoa. Didn't see that coming. Kayaba _and_ Sugou? Working together in the same world? What madness is this?! It looks like this new Death Game is going to be quite the challenge with this new development. How will this affect the terms of the game? How will it influence our heroes' actions? Why is Sugou working with someone he hates so much? If Kayaba now sits upon the Frozen Throne as the new Lich King, what happened to Bolvar Fordragon? These questions and more will be answered soon enough in coming chapters, so stay tuned for more as the story develops! Please remember to leave a review if you feel so inclined (constructive criticism is welcome, flames are doused, and trolls are sacrificed to Bwonsamdi or cannibalized, lol), and I'll see you guys next time. Take care out there! EXCELSIOR!

* * *

Next Time, in AZO: **Chapter 2- Ultimatum.**


	3. Ultimatum

**AN:** _Sword Art Online_ and the characters therein are the property and creations of Reki Kawahara and abec. Publishing rights belong to ACSII Media Works, Yen Press, Dengeki Bunko, Madman Entertainment, A-1 Pictures, Tokyo MX, Aniplex, Manga Entertainment, and Adult Swim/Toonami. _The World of Warcraft_ and the characters, lore, mechanics, etc are all the creations of Blizzard Entertainment. I hold no ownership rights to this title whatsoever, and I never will, sadly. I am simply writing this story as a leisurely past time, and because I am a humble fan of this title simply telling a story.

Okay, now that the legal bullsh!t is out of the way, it's time to move on and get the story rolling. Last time, on AZO, Kirito and Klein discovered that the log-out button was mysteriously missing from the main menu. However, before they could get any answers for this glitch, they were teleported to the illustrious _«Mogu'shan Palace»_, along with every other player in the game. There, they were confronted by Akihiko Kayaba and Nobuyuki Sugou, the game's creators, who have now taken the forms of the Lich King and Illidan Stormrage to inform the players that they are now trapped within the game! Why are they doing this? What are their plans for the players, for the world of AZO? Why are they posing as two of Warcraft's greatest villains? Well, what are you asking me for?! Read on and find out!

(Note: For the full effect, listen to _"Arthas, My Son"_ from the _Wrath of the Lich King_ Soundtrack during Kayaba's speech. At **(1)**, play the _Mists of Pandaria_ track for _"Way of the Monk."_ Please forgive me if the sound doesn't mesh well with the actual text, it's hard to time this stuff just right. Lol)

* * *

**Chapter Two: Ultimatum.**

_**Time: **__Sunday, November 6th, 2022, 5:38pm._

_**Location:**_ _AZO, __**«Mogu'shan Palace».**_

* * *

_'This is insane.'_

That was the only word Kirito could think of to describe the situation being shown to him by the self-appointed _**«Lich King»**_, Akihiko Kayaba, as he informed them of their fates in a sickeningly calm and collected fashion. The grim truth had been laid out before them, both verbally and visually, as with a wave of his hand, several video screens appeared about the courtyard at Kayaba's direction. Upon each was a different major news-channel from a different country, alerts scrolling across the bottom as grieving family members wept openly, and lifeless bodies were loaded into the backs of stark-white ambulances'.

Or, in the more extreme cases, zipped up in body-bags and lifted into coroners vans.

With the regal disposition of the title he now bore, Kayaba had told them of their fate. That the missing logout button was not a glitch in the system, but in reality, how he had designed the game. There was never meant to be a way to log out of AZO from within, or without by a separate party. Should anyone attempt to remove the NerveGear from their heads, the rig's microwave transceiver would discharge a massive pulse of radiation into their skulls, effectively frying their brains and killing them instantly. Several players in the crowd scoffed at the idea, and more than one thought this was a complete farce. The invisible barrier that had appeared around the perimeter of «Mogu'shan Palace» had served to reinforce Kayaba's point.

The lifeless husks on the video screens did the rest.

And the weight of what was happening to them finally started to sink in.

Despite his warnings, the Lich had told them, friends and family members of several players had attempted to remove the NerveGear. "An unfortunate decision to say the least," he had said so casually, as though negligent homicide on the parts of unsuspecting parents and loved-ones were easily dismissed as acceptable losses in the grand scheme of his design. As a result, the game now had 215 less players than when it began mere hours ago. However, due to the attention and round-the-clock coverage of these deaths by international news-media, Kayaba reassured that it was safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear rig being removed was minimal at best.

"I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game," intoned the Lich sincerely, hands placed atop one another upon the pommel of _«Frostmourne»_ as he spoke. At his side, the figure known as Nobuyuki Sugou seemed genuinely amused at this turn of events, watching the panicked and fearful faces of the players with rapt enjoyment.

"Clear the game?" Klein couldn't believe what he was hearing, something Kirito could sympathize with completely at this point. "So, wait. These psychos trap us in here, name themselves after the two greatest monsters Azeroth has ever produced outside the Old Gods and the Legion, allows two-hundred fifteen people to die, and now he expects us to _beat an MMO_?!"

"It is important that you remember the following," Sugou interjected from his place beside Kayaba atop the steps of Mogu'shan Palace, eying the frightened players below with sadistic pleasure as he continued his associate's statement. "There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game, unless the following conditions are met: from this day forward, you can be resurrected by a fellow player _once_ over the course of a three-day period. There will be a two-minute window wherein this revival can take place. However, if this time limit expires, or your HP drops to zero for the second time in three-days following a resurrection, your avatar will be deleted from the system permanently, and the NerveGear," a dangerous smile split Sugou's face, "will simultaneously destroy your brain."

A ripple of shocked gasps and cries of disbelief tinged with fear reverberated through the crowd, Kirito among them. Memories of his battles alongside Klein against the creatures on «Azuremyst Isle» came flooding back to him, heart hammering away in his chest and sweat beading on his brow at the realization that he could've easily died then and there. The mental image of himself staggering backwards, oblivious to the fate before him as he exploded into bits of data and polygons...

"There is only one way for a player to escape now." The somber, pleading eyes of every player present locked onto Kayaba's imposing form, the sinister chuckling of Sugou not helping the ominous feeling they all felt in the pit of their stomachs. With a wave of his hand, a large map of Azeroth appeared before the armored Game Master as he laid down the gauntlet. "You must clear the game."

"Again with this crap," growled Klein indignantly, still unable to move out of shock, Kirito in a similar state at his side. "_Warcraft_ wasn't made to be cleared like some console title that has a clear end-game from the get-go, it's an MMORPG! You don't clear it, you just play it and have fun until the next expansion is released, and then the cycle starts all over again!"

Kirito heard Klein's frustrated snarling, but couldn't move to respond. He was too transfixed on the spectacle before him, on the steadfast forms of Kayaba and Sugou as they continued with their ultimatum. _'Klein's right, AZO was meant to be like the original Warcraft in almost every way, save for the inclusion of a new enemy force, cross-faction interaction, and globally linked server networks, say nothing of the VR element. The system was even supposed to automatically release expansions on a set schedule based on an algorithm Kayaba developed specifically for figuring out the specific elements needed to craft and render the proper content for an expansion. The only way for us to clear the game like they're saying is if Kayaba's completely erased it from the system. But how could he have done it without the devs realizing something was up?'_

"As with the original _Warcraft_," Kayaba explained as several red dots appeared across the continents on the map, "time is of the utmost importance. _**Cardinal**_, the system that governs the world of AZO- the system that I now control- has one hundred "Campaign Raids" set to release on a timed schedule that updates automatically. You must clear the dungeon and defeat the raid boss at the end to signal the system, and begin the countdown to the next raid's release. The less time taken to complete the Raid, the more time the system shaves off the scheduled length until the next is released."

"There are several other dungeons located throughout the realms of AZO, that can be run as many times as you like and are not as grueling as the major raids," added Sugou, smirking as he saw some of faint flicker of hope on several players faces at the revelation of Kayaba's incentive, which he relished in dashing to pieces as he continued. "However, they do not count towards the game's completion. This applies to Flex Raids as well, as they will only go towards leveling up yourself and your party or raid-group. Like these normal instances, details pertaining to Campaign Raids will appear one week before their scheduled release on the either the «Hero's Call» or «Warchief's Command» Boards in the major cities for each corresponding Faction, and these details will be accessible from your «Quest Log» once you agree to participate."

"However, you do have the option to stay on the sidelines of these Campaigns if you so desire." Kirito turned his attentions back to Kayaba, puzzled by the almost comforting tone he was using right now, and sickened by it at the same time. They were playing "Good Cop, Bad Cop," with Sugou as the malicious one, and Kayaba as the benevolent- if still sadistic and cruel- god of this virtual Azeroth. "After all, those players who do opt to brave the raids will need supplies, such as armor to with which to gird themselves against the terrible creatures we have wrought, healers to care for the wounded, and food to fuel the fires of the war machines of both the Horde and Alliance on your path to freedom. However, this does not leave you exempt from questing. Leveling your «Professions» will still require you to brave the wilds of Azeroth in search of supplies and recipes with which to craft those items needed to keep yourself and your fellow players alive."

"This is...," Kirito struggled to find his voice, the insanity of the impossibly lofty task before him and his fellow gamers weighing on his mind as Kayaba gave them the option of cowering in the towns and villages of his world for the rest of their short lives. "This is insane. We never even got past the first five Raids in the beta, there wasn't enough time for more to be released before it closed!"

"The first five?" Klein eyed his friend hopefully, trying to stay positive, even as the world came crashing down around them. However, Kirito's dismal countenance wasn't really inspiring confidence at the moment. "I mean, that's good, right? They should release the rest relatively quickly if that's the case."

Kirito shook his head dismissively. "I doubt it. I mean, look where we are, look at the log-out button, those newsfeeds they showed us, all of it. They're able to completely ignore the rules of the system they created for his world, or at least bend it's rules enough to accomplish all of this with no effort on their part. If they've been able to do that in such a short amount of time, who knows what else has changed from the beta? The first Raid might not release for a month now, maybe longer!"

"Tch!" Klein clicked his tongue in frustration, head snapping back to glare angrily at the masked face of Kayaba Akihiko, who seemed to grow more and more in tune with his new role as _**«The Lich King»**_ and god-like ruler of this world with each passing minute. Kirito could hardly blame his friend for his anger. After all, the world he and his mother had held so dearly was being perverted to fit design of the two madmen before them, staring down past their noses at the players who had trusted and idolized them as though they were insects in comparison.

"Last, but _certainly_ not least," Sugou said with a grandoise wave of his hand to call up his menu, tapping an unseen button before it disappeared with a cheery pinging sound, in sharp contrast to the dark mood that filled the courtyard, "I've placed a little present in the item storage of every remaining player gathered here. Do not worry," he added mockingly, taking note of some further confused faces in the crowd, "regardless of the original slot-size of your bags, the item will have appeared in a temporary additional slot, leaving the previously collected items untouched. After all," a sinister smile played at the corners of the new Illidan's mouth, "we wouldn't want you losing anything important, now would we?"

"Please," urged Kayaba with a patient, fatherly tone as he inclined his head approvingly, "have a look."

Warily, Kirito, Klein, and the players gathered opened their bags and retrieved the object in question, breathing a sigh of relief upon finding the items they had gathered before the teleport weren't lost or replaced by it. After all, if quests were going to be the only thing keeping them alive, and giving them any chance of getting out of this nightmare, they couldn't afford to lose anything. More than a few players stared at Sugou's "present" in befuddlement, wondering just what sick game the winged psycho was playing at now. It was a cracked mirror, whose description read:

«Twisted Looking-Glass»

Before any of them could give voice to their confusion, several players were engulfed in fiery pillars of blue light, and then several more, and several more, continuing until the entire courtyard was swallowed in a flash of blue radiance. Frantic cries of panic echoed through the valley, only to fade with the light as the world came back into focus for the players, still frightened from the ordeal they had just been subjected to, and were still being subjected too.

And again, for a third time that day, the world had changed.

Kirito felt... Odd, to say the least. Like something was incredibly off with his perception of the world. Not in the sense of his presence in AZO, but in his view of it. Everything seemed taller now, as opposed to a few seconds ago when he was the same height as he perceived an adult Kirito would be at the age of twenty. Now, it was as if things had returned to the normal way he viewed them. The way he saw things on a daily basis.

His eyes widened as it finally dawned on him.

"It's just how things look IRL."

A quick look in the mirror confirmed his suspicious, despite its fractured surface. His formerly heroic avatar had been forcibly transformed to resemble his real-world appearance! But...

"Kirito?" He heard a concerned Klein ask at his side, turning to see a very human face staring back at him, instead of a furry worgen muzzle. "You okay, buddy?" The young man looked to be in his early twenties with a head of spiky red hair, a scruffy beard, lithe build, and brown eyes. What tipped him off that this was his friend, however, was the signature red headband cinched tightly across his forehead, and the sword sheathed at his hip.

"Klein?" Kirito looked at his friend in disbelief, finally putting a face to the furred image he'd known before. "You look... A lot less hairy now."

"And you look so... Young?" A flash of understanding finally registering in the redhead's eyes, he gave himself a quick glance to see what now looked like and gaped in shock, patting himself down to make sure it was really him. "Wha-?! How the-?!"

"The scan," the black-haired teen realized, things starting to click in his head. "The same transceivers in the NerveGear rigs those bastards are using to keep us all hostage in here can get a comprehensive scan of our faces, and then digitally render it here in AZO with whatever program those mirrors were encoded with. But, how does it know our height and body-types?"

"That calibration thing it had us do before we logged in for the first time!" Klein added, patting his arms to emphasize. "It had you touch your body all over, remember? That must be how it-"

"-Got our physical data!" finished Kirito, their thoughts lining up as he looked his hands over, marveling at how detailed their avatars' alterations had been... As much as he could, in light of the enormity of what was happening to them

All around the two, similar reactions were being had by the altered players. Cries of panic, disgust, surprise, and incredulity. Glancing about, Kirito saw that those players of more exotic races now bore certain cosmetic additions to their real-world avatars, to identify them with their original characters. Night Elves and Blood Elves bore pointed ears and matching pigmentations; Forsaken looked like zombified versions of their true selves; Trolls sported tusks, pointed ears, and an painter's palette worth skin colors; Worgen had been forced into their human forms; Orcs possessed enlarged canines on their lower jaws that jutted gruesomely over their upper lips; cute furry ears sat atop the heads of Pandaren players, who now had dark circles around their eyes; Goblin players possessed pointed ears, warty noses, and green skin; and Tauren bore digitigrade furry legs with cloven hooves, bovine tails, and horns. Only the Human, Dwarf, and Gnome players retained their normalcy.

"What the Hell?!"

"Son of a-! You're not a girl!"

"And you're not seventeen!"

"What did you do to us?!"

"Kazuto?"

Kirito felt every vein in his body freeze over at the sound of the voice to his left, breath hitching in his chest. Every fiber of his being screamed at him not to look, that it was an impossibility for this to even be happening right now, that he was hallucinating out of sheer fright at what was going on. A dread the likes of which he had never felt before dug its claws into his heart and would not let go. It couldn't be, it just couldn't be...

And yet, as he went against everything he felt in that moment and turned his head in the direction of the voice that had called his name, his heart sank. For what could not be, in fact was.

"Suguha?"

Kirito could not begin to fathom what had possessed his adopted sister to choose a Darkspear Troll as her avatar in AZO, his mind still reeling from the revelation that she was even here at all. The last time he had seen her, she was headed off to _kendo_ club for practice as usual, nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever. And yet, here she was! Suguha, the _kendo_ star, who had once told him she wouldn't so much as touch a video-game, even if he got on his knees and begged her to, was playing a VMMORPG.

And now she was stuck in this... This "Death Game," just like him..

Every brotherly instinct within him was screaming in aggravated worry for him to do something, anything! Yet, he continued to stare at his cousin- whom he had almost dismissively referred to as his "kid sister" mere moments ago- as though she were a ghost.

"Kazuto!" Suguha leapt to his side and wrapped her arms around his, seeking some comfort in her adopted sibling as she looked up at him with pleading eyes, demanding some kind of answer for all this chaos. "What's going on? Is what he's saying true?! Are we really stuck here?!"

"Suguha?" Kirito finally managed to squeak out, disentangling his arm from her grasp to place his hands on her shoulders to steady his cousin. Her whole body was shaking, and hot, salty tears were forming at the corners of her eyes. "What are you doing here? I thought you went to practice, how are you in AZO?"

The kendo champion sniffled, fighting back her urge to cry so that she didn't appear weak in front of her adopted-brother. "I-I-I was," she began with a stammer, trying to control herself and gather her thoughts, "I-I mean, I did. And we finished a little early, so Haruka-chan and I decided to go and hang out at her place before going home." A weak smile came to her at the memory. "She said she won a contest, and that the prize as a set of NerveGear and a copy of AZO for her and her family, and since they weren't interested that I could play with her because she thought I might like it if I gave it a chance and tried it with her, and I said "Ok," because she was my friend, then we were fighting these monsters and she got hit, she told me not to waste a potion 'cause she would just respawn at the «Graveyard» and then there was this light and... And..." Finally running out of steam, Suguha stared up at her brother, sobbing in sporadic hiccups as the tears began to flow freely. "Is it true? Is what he said-?!"

Kirito pulled his sister into a tight hug and held her to his chest as she sobbed, burying her head against him. He and Klein looked at one another grimly, both knowing the severity of what the younger girl had witnessed. Clenching his fists tightly against Suguha's back as he held her close, Kirito glared daggers at the two monsters on the terrace. Matabei Haruka had been Suguha's friend since grade school, she'd lived just down the block from them and even though Kirito had only met her whenever Suguha was around, he knew her well-enough to call her a friend. They grew up together, went to _kendo_ club together, everything.

And Sugu' had just watched her die.

Her best friend in the whole world was gone.

And it was all their fault.

"Bastards," Kirito growled furiously, wanting nothing more than to slaughter them with everything he had in him. Klein's restraining hand on her shoulder, and the look in his eyes, held him in place. He knew just as well as the veteran worgen that they were no match for Kayaba and Sugou at their level, and there was nothing they could do about it now. Blood boiling, he could do nothing but hold his adopted-sister and glare at them as they continued to deliver their ultimatum.

"By now," Kayaba spoke, the crowd going silent at his words, "You're probably wondering, "Why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Azeroth Online and NerveGear, and Nobuyuki Sugou, a well-respected employee of Blizzard Entertainment, do this?"" Murmurs of speculation and confirmation at their confusion rippled through the crowd as Kayaba addressed them, pulling _«Frostmourne»_ free of the stone terrace to level it at the players menacingly. "Ultimately, my goal was to recreate the world of Azeroth, a world that I could intervene in. To control the fate of a world of my design, and as you can see," he gestured to the world around him with his opposing hand, all the smugness of a king in his voice as he proclaimed, "I have achieved my goal."

"Kayaba!" Kirito snarled, fists tightening.

"This marks the end of the tutorial," proclaimed Sugou haughtily, wings flaring out to their full length as he rose into the air with arms spread wide, like an angel of death carried on the winds of war, "And the official launch of Azeroth Online."

"Players!" shouted Kayaba commandingly, all of their focus now on him as his eyes burned brighter and his hands began to glow with a brilliant blue light. "I wish you the best of luck."

With that proclamation, the reborn Lich thrust his blade skyward, a pulsating beam of pale light streaking into the clouds like a signal to all of the world that he had returned to ravage it anew. In the courtyard below, Kirito, Klein, Suguha, and the gathered players could only look on awestruck at the spectacle as it unfolded. The dark clouds overhead began to curl and spiral around the beam that pierced the heavens, crackles of thunder and flashes of lightning echoing overhead. And then, the entire valley shook with a tremendous roar that forced the players to cover their ears, their cries of pain drowned out by the booming cacophony that split the very air.

"My God," Klein breathed in astonishment, Kirito following his gaze to gape dumbfounded at the source of the roar.

The creature that landed was a dragon, that much was certain. But it was unlike any he had seen before, and it towered far above the palace, even on all-fours! Half-dead, the beast looked as though it were rotting away, bones visible to the world, barely held together by the grisly strips of flesh and stringy bits of sinew that remained. And what the aged organic components failed to do, the unnatural magicks of the _**«Lich King»**_ sustained. Ghostly blue power oozed across ancient bone and muscle, looking out at the world through hollowed-out sockets as the monster's new eyes. With another, ear-piercing scream, the dragon spread its wings wide to shade the valley, the last bits of light from the distance peeking through the holes torn in its leathery webbing.

"_**«Sindragosa»**_," marveled the red-haired worgen, frozen to the spot in fear. "The Frost Queen of Northrend."

And upon her back, stood Akihiko Kayaba. The new _**«Lich King»**_ of Azeroth Online.

With a great heave of the dragon's wings, Sindragosa and her new master rocketed into the air, soaring high above the player's heads as they cowered beneath her talons. Swooping high over the mountains at the entrance to the Vale, the once proud Blue Dragonflight hovered for a moment over the valley's peaks, allowing the player's one last look at their jailer before he disappeared into the encroaching night. Gone from their presence, Kayaba's barrier faded into nothingness with a shudder that passed through Kirito's body like a winter's chill.

Everyone stood stock-still in dead silence, attempting to process everything they had just been told. The seconds crawled by, until they felt like hours. In the great courtyard of «Mogu'shan Palace», you could have heard a pin drop.

Amid the petrified players, Kirito and Klein knew full well what had happened to them. And though they were livid at the thought of imprisonment, they knew nothing good would come of simply standing around and doing nothing. Chaos was sure to erupt at any second, all these people needed was the right catalyst to break the silence and send them into a frenzy. They had to get out of there, and fast.

"We gotta move," Kirito and Klein declared simultaneously, surprising one another- and Suguha- for a fraction a of a second before taking action.

Calling upon Kirito's advice from earlier, Klein activated his _«Two Forms»_ racial ability, before turning on his heel and bolting for the main entrance to the courtyard, Kirito hot on his non-existent tail with Suguha in tow. Suppressing the howl growing in his throat with the pain of the transformation, Klein felt his skin become alight with a burning sensation as fur erupted from his skin and his nails elongated and sharpened into claws. Face lengthening and contorting into a snout, he nearly stumbled as his legs bent and became digitgrade like a dog's. Unlike the muscled form he had before, Kayaba and Sugou's augmentation of their avatars rendered the veteran player's worgen form with a build similar to his real-world body, shaving several inches of his height until it too mirrored his true self.

Hand clasped firmly around his sister's shoulders, Kirito winched at the sound of a young girl screaming behind them.

It was quickly drowned out by the ensuing discord. Terrified players all around them were shouting and panicking, demanding they be set free, screaming that this couldn't be happening, but their pleas and cries of anguish fell on deaf ears.

As they broke free of the crowd and hurried down the steps, Kirito could barely make out Klein's menu as he hastily pulled it up, scrolling desperately through it until he found the "Guild Chat" tab he had attempted to call up before this madness had started. Thanks to his friend's newly shortened form, the younger gamer was able to make out the message Klein had typed before it was sent off and the screen closed:

_"__**gleader:**__ All Fangs to __**«The Golden Lantern»**__, ASAP!"_

"_«The Golden Lantern»_?" Kirito asked aloud, Suguha mirroring his confusion.

"Yeah, it's the main inn at the _«Shrine of Seven Stars»_," explained Klein as they ran, one hand on his sword as his ears swiveled this way and that, pricked up in search of any sign of trouble. "We need to regroup with the guys there if we want to stand any chance of getting a head start on leveling up, much less staying alive right now."

"Staying alive?" Suguha's voice was full of worry at that, her body still tense when Kirito squeezed her shoulder to help remind her she wasn't alone.

Klein nodded darkly, looking over his shoulder for a fraction of a second at the two before returning his eyes to the road. "Like I told Kirito earlier, this is one of the highest level zones from the original _WoW_, way beyond any of our abilities at this time. If we don't get to a neutral zone, and fast, we're going to be in serious trouble. The creatures around here are a higher level than the ones in the starting areas like _«Northshire Valley»_ or _«Shadowglen»_. If we don't get out of here now-!" **(1)**

An ominous shrieking sound cut off the ginger worgen, bringing him skidding to a halt as he held up a hand for Kirito and Suguha to hold their positions, eyeing the forests warily. From the darkness of the trees, several ape-like creatures dropped into the path in front of them, cutting off their escape as others fell to prevent a retreat. They were hunched over, swaying back and forth as they circled the players, their beady little eyes glittering eerily in the light of the setting sun. Though they appeared primitive, the monkeys were wielding a wide array of weaponry, most-likely stolen from passing travelers and players, the latter thought sending a chill up the trio's spines upon remembering Kayaba's words.

"«Hozen»," Klein grumbled, drawing his sword as the monkeys hooted and whooped at them goadingly. Following their friend's lead, Kirito and Suguha readied their own weapons, with Suguha surprising her brother by producing a simple bō-staff.

"It just felt... Kinda natural, I guess," explained the Troll Monk in response to her adopted sibling's perplexed expression.

Kirito simply nodded at that, returning his gaze to the gathered Hozen around them, deciding to save his questions about his newly sister's choice of class for later. Damn it, there were too many of them. And if what Klein had said about their being unprepared for this zone was right, there was no way they were getting out of this alive if they dug in their heels and fought. His sister's heart-wrenching cries still ringing in his ears, Kirito stepped in front of the trio. "Klein, listen to me. Take Suguha and head to the inn, I'll hold them off."

"What?!"

"Kazuto!"

"Don't fight me on this, Sugu'!" he snapped, his expression softening at his sister's recoil from him. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, alright? I promised Mom, remember? Besides," he glared down his blade at the bouncing monkeys surrounding them, "This is what a big-brother is supposed to do."

With a wordless battle-cry, Kirito activated his _«Charge»_ and shot forward like a rocket, bringing his sword down on the closest Hozen with all the strength he could muster. He smiled in success as the blow it home and slashed the creature across the chest and sent it reeling backwards as the others charged forward to aid their dazed comrade. The monkeys were coordinated, he would give them that. They would dart in, take a swipe at him, then duck out of the way when he swung in response. For all the blows he was landing, he barely made a dent in their HP, while even the faintest scratch felt like they were killing him by degrees.

_'It's just like he said,'_ thought the black-haired Warrior as he weakly blocked another slash from a Hozen's sword_. 'We're no match for them, not just yet!'_

A soft sensation around his ankle was the only warning Kirito received before he was yanked off his feet by one of the monkeys' tails, slamming into the ground hard and dizzying him considerably. Shaking his head to clear the stars from his vision, the blurry world came back into focus just in time to see one of the Hozen leap at him with its sword raised overhead to strike him with all its primal fury. As it came down, Kirito closed his eyes, ready to meet his fate, praying that Klein had listened to him and taken Suguha away so that she wouldn't have to see this...

_**CLANG!**_

Only for the sound of a successful _«Parry»_ to tell him otherwise, as the sight of Suguha standing between him and the bleating ape with her staff at the ready filled his vision. Every muscle in her body was tensed for this fight, and she was panting heavily. A quick look at her HP told him the monkey had landed a glancing blow at best, but even that was enough to wind her at her current level. At her side, Klein barked at the troop in defiance, already in his _«Battle Stance»_.

"What're you doing?! I told you to run, damn it!" Kirito rose shakily to his feet, sword at the ready.

"And I decided, I'm not leaving here without you, moron!" Suguha shot back in annoyance, eyes never leaving her opponents as she chewed out her brother. "Just because you're my brother, doesn't mean you get to throw your life away to keep me safe. In case you've forgotten, I don't need protecting!"

"And in case I didn't tell you earlier, bro," Klein added with a smile, ears back and hackles raised, "The Fellowship doesn't leave guild-mates behind, not even when it looks as hopeless as this!"

"Guild-mates?" Kirito gawked apprehensively. Klein had offered him a place with him and his friends before, but Kirito hadn't accepted it, at least not yet. After all, he was more used to playing solo when it came to games like this, say nothing of his activities IRL. _'But, with Suguha here,'_ he reasoned begrudgingly, weighing the probability of his being able to keep her alive on his own, _'There's no way I can get us through this on my own like before.' _He cursed himself in the back of his mind. _'Damn it! I'm just not strong enough!'_

"Here they come!" Klein shouted, the Hozen moving as one to take them down, and the three players readying themselves for the attack. Kirito followed Klein's example and activated his own _«Battle Stance»_, preparing to make a hole with his _«Heroic Strike»_. Suguha was already in her _«Stance of the Fierce Tiger»_, and her kendo training had taken over to keep her in tune with the battle before them. Even if the odds were stacked in their opponents favor at the moment, Kirito felt invigorated by his friends' presence. As the Hozen's blades fell, they moved-

- Only to stop just shy of attacking as a massive figure slammed into the path in front of them, kicking up a cloud of dust that stung the players' eyes. When it had settled, the trio looked up in awe at the Pandaren NPC that stood before them, the Hozen's attacks halted by the bamboo staff he wielded with ease. The wide straw _dǒulì_ on his head bore a large cut on the front that was visible when he turned to regard them with warm eyes and a knowing smile. On either side of the path, seated within two great craters created by their landing, were a pair of huge clay jugs, filled with what was most likely ale, leading to the conclusion only Klein was able to give voice.

"Master Stormstout." A sense of wonder carried with each word from the worgen's muzzle, the Pandaren Brewmaster nodding in confirmation before returning his attentions to the Hozen. A mighty roar echoed through the forest as Chen adopted the _«Stance of the Sturdy Ox»_, hand outstretched towards his foe and staff held tightly against his body.

"It appears I arrived just in the nick of time." The legendary Brewmaster jerked his head in the direction of the Shrine, signaling them to move. "Go, young ones. Leave these flea-ridden beasts to me, they will trouble you no more."

"Thank you, Master." Klein honored the monk with a deep bow, which Kirito and Suguha mimicked before complying with the hero's wishes and continuing onward to their destination.

As they ran for _«The Golden Lantern»_, Kirito caught the sounds of Chen's battle behind them, gritting his teeth in self-resentment and clenching his fists until he thought they might bleed. He had been unable to do anything to protect them, only surviving through his sister's interference and Chen's arrival. It was infuriating to feel this helpless, this weak! Casting a glance at Suguha and Klein beside him, Kirito forced himself to bury that anger for their sake, his face setting into a mask of steely determination.

_'No, I can do this. I __have__ to do this. For Sugu'. For Klein. Do you hear me, Kayaba, Sugou?! This world won't beat us!'_

_'We __will__ survive in this world!'_

* * *

**AN:** ... Whoa. Again, did _not_ see that coming. And I'm writing the damn thing! With Suguha stuck in the Death Game, it looks like Kirito is begrudgingly going to take Klein up on that offer he made in Chapter One to join the Fellowship of the Crimson Fang. After all, Guilds are an integral part of the Warcraft experience, and while he is a solo-player by preference, Kirito can't afford to take any chances with his sister's safety, not with an entire world out there that wants them dead. Will Kirito be welcomed as the Fellowship's newest member? Can Suguha forgive him for nearly throwing his life away for her sake? Will any of Klein's friends survive the wilds of Pandaria to reach the _«The Golden Lantern»_? What adventures await our heroes as they brave the world of AZO and fight to clear the Death Game? These questions and more will be answered soon enough in coming chapters, so stay tuned for more as the story develops! Please remember to leave a review if you feel so inclined (constructive criticism is welcome, flames are doused, and trolls are sacrificed to Bwonsamdi or cannibalized, lol), and I'll see you guys next time. Take care out there! EXCELSIOR!

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Next Time, in AZO: **Chapter 3- The Fellowship.**


	4. The Fellowship

**AN:** _Sword Art Online_ and the characters therein are the property and creations of Reki Kawahara and abec. Publishing rights belong to ACSII Media Works, Yen Press, Dengeki Bunko, Madman Entertainment, A-1 Pictures, Tokyo MX, Aniplex, Manga Entertainment, and Adult Swim/Toonami. _The World of Warcraft_ and the characters, lore, mechanics, etc are all the creations of Blizzard Entertainment. I hold no ownership rights to this title whatsoever, and I never will, sadly. I am simply writing this story as a leisurely past time, and because I am a humble fan of this title simply telling a story.

Okay, now that the legal bullsh!t is out of the way, it's time to move on and get the story rolling. My apologies for the late update, life's been kinda hectic on this end of things, and with classes having started up, these are going to be difficult to churn out at as quick a pace as before. However, I still plan on working on this story whenever I have the chance. That being said, on with AZO. When we last left our heroes, Kirito, Klein, and Suguha had been faced with the ultimatum of Kayaba and Sugou, along with the rest of the players alive to brave the terrors of AZO. Now trapped in the game, and fleeing for their lives in the Level 90 sub-zone of _«The Vale of Eternal Blossoms»_, the trio have made for the Alliance safe-zone of _«The Shrine of the Seven Stars»_ to await the arrival of Klein's guild-mates from the Fellowship of the Crimson Fang. Will any of the guild members survive the wilds of Pandaria? Read on and find out for yourself, my friends.

(Soundtrack Note: For the full effect, listen to _"Shrine of the Seven Stars"_ from the _Mists of Pandaria_ Soundtrack at **(1)**. At **(2)**, play "_Friendship to Last"_ by _**Two Steps From Hell.**_ Please forgive me if the music/sound doesn't mesh well with the actual text, it's hard to time this stuff just right and find the proper mood music. Lol)

* * *

**Chapter Three: The Fellowship.**

_**Time: **__Sunday, November 6th, 2022, 8:58pm._

_**Location:**_ _AZO, __**«The Golden Lantern».**_

* * *

The rooms at the inn were cozy to say the least.

**(1) **Two large beds with a desk and lamp between them, a table and chairs against the far wall, a large lamp hanging from the ceiling, and even a window to allow for a view that overlooked the full expanse of the Alliance safe-zone outside. Much of the interior decor mirrored the cultural influences of China that seemed to pervade Pandaren architecture and society, ornate and beautiful. Far overhead, the moon stood silhouetted against the still night sky, the mountain peaks in the distance breaking it's circular form near the bottom with their snow-covered caps. In the trees just outside the window, cicadas could be heard chirping out their shrill calls.

In contrast, just outside their door, sounds of busy NPCs milling about trickled in from all directions from every floor of the great «_Shrine of the Seven Stars»_. Drums from _«The Emperor's Step»_ balcony down the hall thumping out a steady beat to toll the hour as 9pm grew nearer, servants rushing to and fro on various errands, whispered gossip, vendors from the foyer and the terraces beyond peddling their wares, and the low, barely audible hum of the seven portals in _«The Imperial Exchange»._ Every once in a while, they would see Klein's lupine ears prick up and swivel towards the door, just before hearing the voices of newly arrived players as an NPC ushered them past the trio's room, frightened and shell-shocked from the combination of Kayaba's ultimatum and their perilous flight from the palace through Pandaria's wilds. But, they were few and far between. For the most part, though, the chatter of the NPCs was all they could catch.

As if the whole of Pandaria were completely oblivious to the horror it had just bore witness to a scant few hours ago.

It had been three short hours since Kayaba and Sugou's "Tutorial," and already they knew the number of players had decreased dramatically. It sickened them to admit it, but their jailers had probably planned it that way. Only those skilled and cunning enough to survive would have managed to juke the mobs roaming the forests of the Level 90 sub-zone and make it to either of the Shrines in the Vale. Everyone else would have been one-shot by the creatures easily and without mercy, their mere presence and status as low-level players making them easy prey, too much to resist. It was as if Kayaba and Sugou had declared, "Only the strong are privileged to survive in our world."

From what they had picked up from passersby, the veteran players like Klein had the same idea and made for the either of the two Shrines as quickly as possible, many of them buddying up with less-experienced players to help them evade aggro from the mobs and at least have a chance at teleporting back to safer zones. Others weren't so lucky, or were completely lost in the pandemonium at the palace courtyard. Some were rioting, others simply broke down and slipped into madness, and even more chilling were the rumors floating around of those that outright committed suicide. Kirito didn't even want to think about how they had gone about that. There were an infinite number of ways to die in this zone, say nothing of the whole world!

However, there was still some faint glimmer of hope amid the gloom.

Word from _**«Matron Vi Vinh»**_, the Lantern's Innkeeper, was that the arrival of Kayaba and Sugou in their land had been detected by Pandaria's guardians, an ancient order of warriors known as _**«The Shado-Pan»**_. Apparently, the avatars Kayaba had chosen for himself and his associate exuded dark energies similar to those of the malevolent _sha_ that the Shado-Pan had kept watch over for centuries, and the Pandaren warriors had moved to intercept them. However, they arrived only to find a crowd of frantic players, and shifted their focus to quelling the insanity. Their rescue by the civilian Brewmaster _**«Chen Stormstout»**_, it seemed, was a shared experience, as gossip among passing players told of their own rescue from certain death by members of the enigmatic order, bringing a collective sigh of relief to the trio.

_'At least now we have a better chance of beating these bastards,'_ thought Kirito thankfully, his ribs twinging from the blow he'd taken earlier. He touched the bandages gingerly, doing his best not to aggravate the wound Suguha had done her best to patch up. The poisoned blades had slowed a process that should've taken a rest or quick heal to resolve, but he'd be back in fighting shape by morning.

Even though her _«First Aid»_ profession had not been leveled up as high, along with her _«Herbalism»_ and _«Alchemy»_, his sister had done what she could for the bruised ribs he'd sustained from their fight with the Hozen. Matron Vi was even kind enough to supply her with all the «Heavy Linen Bandages» she needed, insisting she didn't need to pay her for it this time. They'd had a hard enough day as it was, and the Pandaren lady even helped Suguha bandage him up, seeing as she wasn't learned enough to do it on her own.

He was lucky those damn monkeys hadn't killed him, something she and Sugu' especially had no problem holding over his head for the duration of this insane death game if she had to.

_'Let's just hope we live long enough for that.'_ Kirito glanced at Klein out of the corner of his eye from the bed nearest the window, their worgen friend remaining in wolf-form as he leaned against the wall by the door.

The three of them had pooled their money to get this room, and even though there were only two beds, Klein insisted the younger players have them, while he slept on the floor. They could tell there was no budging on this point, so Suguha and Kirito opted to share one and leave the other open for one or two of their fellow guild-mates when they finally arrived. It felt weird to say that, even mentally, as Kirito was so used to being alone. Even IRL, he had very few friends, and spent most of his time with his nose in a computer manual or eyes glued to his monitor. Being able to rely on someone else, having to rely on someone else... It was completely new to him.

Still, it was oddly comforting. Even now, he could tell he had made the right choice as he watched Klein wait patiently by the door, twitchy with anticipation and worry at the thought of his friends still out there. From her cross-legged position atop the second bed, Suguha could see it too, and it brought her both ease and concern, pitying her new friend for his predicament. They knew Klein wanted nothing more than to charge out the door and tear Pandaria apart until he found his guild-mates, but stayed put because he knew the minute he left the safe zone, he would be the one torn to pieces instead.

The waiting was torture for all of them.

But, at long last, it paid off. There soon came rhythmic knocks at their door, and one by one, players with the Guild's tabard were ushered hurriedly and warmly into the room. The second a familiar face appeared, Klein's own lit up with a toothy smile and he clapped his hands on his comrades' shoulders, happy to see that they had survived. As they got settled, Kirito and Suguha were introduced to their new guild-mates and companions in the Fellowship of the Crimson Fang.

The first to arrive was a Blood Elf Rogue named Dale, a suave young man in his mid-twenties with a bandana tied over his head and a pencil-thin moustache to match the trim and pointy goatee on his chin. He was every bit the dashing swashbuckler of a class he had chosen, greeting Suguha in particular with a bow and a kiss of her hand that sent the Troll blushing a darker shade of green. Kirito had fought back a chuckle upon seeing his sister so flustered, only to completely swallow it once she glared at him in embarrassment. The next Fang to enter the room was a heavy-set Tushui Pandaren Monk with the moniker Isshin, who wore a braided cloth _hachimaki _that mirrored Klein's headband. If Kirito's instincts were correct, the jovial man-bear was the guild's resident tank, and would choose to spec as a Brewmaster once he reached Level 10, which he seemed very close to at this point as Level 7. After him came what looked to be an older version of Klein's human form, his bright red hair styled up into spikes, and his thicker bear marking him as a Dwarf. "Harry One," as the Death Knight called himself, was a mature man, and he regarded Kirito and his sister with eyes full of concern, saddened that players so young had to be trapped in this nightmare.

Kirito had his own concerns upon meeting Harry as well, primarily due to his class of choice. Death Knights had been a part of _WoW_ ever since the _Wrath of the Lich King_ expansion, and as Klein had explained, they were once the elite troops of the Arthas Menethil when he bore the title, a "right" now bestowed upon Kayaba by his own hand. After Arthas' defeat, the Knights were freed from his influence and accessible to players for character creation, though many in the community looked down on them because of their higher starting levels and seemingly overpowered abilities. When AZO was created, Death Knights were a special class available through the game's pre-order option, or to veteran players logging in with their battle-net account, as a reward of sorts for their transition to the virtual edition of WoW. However, like everyone else in the game, they started off at level one, breaking down the old arguments between players over rank and status.

What worried Kirito, however, was the lore behind the Death Knights, and how it factored in now that Kayaba had reinstated the Lich King as an active threat against Azeroth and the players. With Kayaba in command, were player-controlled DKs immune to his influence? Was there some way for him to hack their avatars and take control of them? Part of him said that, at least for the moment, no, there wasn't. Though it pained him greatly to admit it, Kayaba was giving them a fair shot at clearing AZO, and forcibly taking control of players against their will would defeat that purpose, even if he had the ability to do so in the argument of making the game more challenging.

'_Still, better safe than sorry,'_ thought the young warrior warily as he eyed the guild's undead tank with veiled doubt. He would keep those possibilities in mind and watch Harry closely for the time being.

Though, the arrival of the fourth Fang moments later reinforced the fact that there were greater threats to fret over at the moment, greater worries to consider.

As before, Klein was the first to the door once the knocking started, all heads turning to see who had made it this time. However, their faces immediately fell in horror as the wounded figure stumbled in, his jewel-crowned staff clattering to the ground. The gaunt Forsaken Warlock nearly hit the floor before Klein caught him, supporting the young undead player against his shoulder. Behind him, a large, muscular black man stood with a young girl held easily in one arm, the petite redhead sobbing into the crook of his shoulder. The man's fanged under-bite and the battle-axe strapped to his back marked him as an Orc Warrior, and the girl's fluffy ears told Kirito she was a Pandaren. The musket strapped to her back and the «Dragon Turtle» pet shuffling idly by the Orc's feet indicated she was a Hunter. Not sure what to make of them, a nod from the Forsaken gave Klein all the information he need to allow the strangers entrance.

"Dynamm, what happened out there?" the fretful worgen urged slowly, laying his friend on nearest bed as Suguha leapt up to make room and call for more bandages and some warm water. Clutching a wound on his side, Dynamm chuckled weakly.

"Don't worry, man," he coughed, winching slightly as he forced a weak smile and cracked, "Tis only a flesh wound."

"I found him and this other guy trying to fight off a pack of «Quilen» on the road from the palace," explained the Orc solemnly as he carefully gave the crying girl to Suguha. Kirito watched as his sister took the Pandaren into her lap and hugged her tightly, rocking back and forth and rubbing her back to soothe the young Hunter's worry. "They were trying to protect her from those damn rock-heads." The Orc's fists trembled angrily at the memory, mouth twisting into an enraged snarl. "I tried to help, but I was too late."

"I'm sorry, Klein," Dynamm tried to say as Matron Vi returned with the bandages and started to patch him up. A warm wet towel laced with a healing salve was placed on his forehead as he stared up at them with a quivering lip, unable to cry with his sunken, undead eyes. "I couldn't save him... There were just too many of them."

Klein silenced his friend with a firm hand on his shoulder, eyes full of grief and face set in determination. "It's alright, bro. You and Kunimittz knew the risk, and yet you still stopped to give someone a fighting chance to make it out of this Hell. You did good work, I couldn't be more proud of both of you. You two have brought honor to our Fellowship." His head dipped in sadness, ears flat against his head and a mournful whimper in his throat. "We'll make sure to give Kunimittz a proper send off when we get back to Stormwind, I promise."

Everyone bowed their heads in respect for the Fang's sacrifice, a reminder of the fate that awaited all of them from here onwards should they falter in their resolve.

Rising to his feet, Klein offered a hand to the Orc Warrior in gratitude, which the big man accepted and shook firmly. "Thank you for saving my friend, I can't imagine what might have happened if you hadn't stepped in when you did. Name's Klein, GM for _**«The Fellowship of the Crimson Fang»**_."

The Orc nodded in understanding. "Agil, former tank for _**«The Barren Raiders»**_." He gave a nod to the Pandaren girl, whose sobbing had begun to subside as Suguha continued to comfort her as best she could. "The kid's name is Silica. Apparently, she's one of the newer players that got caught up in that craziness at the palace when those monsters finished their spiel."

"Former?" Klein raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "I thought the Raiders were still a pretty strong guild the last time I logged in on the PC version. Did they break up or something?"

Agil shook his head. "Nah, man, nothing like that. I'm just the only bastard from the guild unlucky enough to get his hands on a hard-copy of AZO before anyone else. Thought I could start laying the groundwork for us while Blizzard worked on getting more copies out there, make it so we had a good foothold here when the guys finally got to log in, you know?" A grimly sarcastic chuckle. "Guess that's not gonna be happening anytime soon, huh? Now, I'm just another player trying to make it outta this nightmare alive."

"Hey, man." A boney hand tugged at Agil's belt, turning his attentions back to Dynamm as the Forsaken rose wearily to a seated position in obvious discomfort. However, Dynamm grit his teeth as he bore through the pain, surprising Kirito with his tenacity. "You could've kept on going. You could've just left me and Kunimittz there to fend for ourselves, but you stopped to help us save her." Even though everything hurt, Dynamm did his best to give Agil a thankful smile. "You're not just another player here... You're a hero."

Agil didn't know what to say at first, but the approving looks he was getting from the gathered members of the Fellowship echoed Dynamm's sentiment unanimously.

Kirito and Suguha looked at one another with a simultaneous smile, a quiet understanding passing between the two that only siblings could share, even if through circumstance and not blood. Just from their interactions in this room, they had seen the Fellowship's compassion, loyalty, and the strong bond of friendship that they shared that was not so easily broken, even by the terrible tragedy of this cruel new world they had been thrust into. Even if he was only joining the guild out of his desire to protect his sister, Kirito knew that he'd made the right choice. Klein and the Fellowship were more than just fellow gamers trapped in this virtual prison like he and Sugu', they were more like... Well, like a family. One he actually felt glad to be a part of, which was big coming from a former solo-player like himself.

After a few minutes of catching up and further introductions for those who had just arrived, Klein clapped his hands in a call to shift focus to the matter at hand: their current predicament as unwilling players in Kayaba and Sugou's death-game.

"So..." Isshin nervously breathed out a long sigh before continuing, looking to Klein for an answer. "What're we gonna do, boss?"

"Do?" scoffed Dale indignantly as he leaned against the windowsill, twirling one of his daggers deftly before brandishing it in a reverse grip. "We put those two bastards in the ground, that's what we do. We beat 'em before in the vanilla _WoW_, we'll do it again here."

"Yeah," Dynamm chimed in from his spot on the second bed, lying on his back while his wounds healed, "but this time it's not that simple, Dale." His eyes lingered to his staff, leaning between the nightstand and bed by his head. "Here, the combat system's way different from just having attacks linked to hotkeys, or moving around with a mouse and button commands." He brushed his bandaged side gingerly, hissing in pain when it caused his wound to flare up again. Damn, that monster's poison was nasty. Still hadn't finished healing yet. "You have to do all the dodging and fighting yourself, and one wrong move..."

"So, we don't make the wrong moves," Klein postulated, placing a reassuring hand on the Warlock's own, moving it away from the wound so he could get some rest. "Like Dale said, we've beaten these guys before, and we've been all over Azeroth in the "vanilla", as Horde and Alliance alike, way before the devs were even talking about AZO. We know the best places to hunt and quest, the best dungeons for grinding, and we've had more than enough time to get our groove down as a raid party." Klein clenched his fist in determination, his maw grinning confidently. "We can do this, guys. We just have to do it a bit smarter than we did back in the day, that's all."

A few eyebrows quirked as Suguha raised her hand to ask a question, causing the Troll to blush again when everyone gave her their undivided attention. "Um... How are supposed to do that... 'Boss'?"

Klein smiled at that, before leaning against the wall opposite the beds in a similar pose to Dale, demeanor shifting to something close to serious, but not quite there yet. "Well, Suguha, since you're new to MMOs, that's going to mean going with your gut and picking your fights and rewards from quests carefully. It also means that, when you hit Levels 10 and 30, you're going to have to pick your «Talents» and «Specializations» wisely. Any gear you're offered by NPCs or drops that'll better boost your abilities and buff your defense and attack power than what you've already got will take precedent over style and appearance. But, thanks to the transmogrifiers," he gave the monk a teasing wink, "you can bet we're sure never to be outta style."

"Don't worry, Sugu'," Kirito reassured his sister, "I'll show you the ropes when we get back to one of the safe zones in the morning. After all, what're brothers for?"

Suguha smacked his hand away before he could place it on her shoulder, looking quite cross with him. "I appreciate it, but don't think this makes up for that stunt you pulled earlier, _"Kirito"_," she huffed in annoyance.

Though he wanted to say more, Kirito knew better than to argue with Sughua when she was mad and promptly dropped the subject. She would forgive him for that- admittedly- bullheaded move from before, it would just take time was all.

"As for the rest of us," Klein continued, undeterred by the siblings' spat as he eyed the guild with the steely gaze of a commander, "not only are we going to do the same, but we also can't let anything go to waste if we can spare the bag slots. If it'll net a fair price, loot it. If not, let it go. The more cash we can make selling items, the more skills we can afford to learn, the better gear we can buy, and the stronger we'll get by extension. We grind and farm where we can between dungeons and quests until we're strong enough to survive. We fight smarter, not harder, and we don't let our HP go below half if at all possible. This isn't just a game anymore, those bastards made it clear back there at the palace. If we die here, and we don't have a res' available from that bogus time-limit of theirs, there's no respawning at _«The Graveyard»_ anymore. The next time you see a «Spirit Healer» is gonna be when she's standing there waiting for you in the afterlife for real this time."

Everyone nodded in understanding, the more seasoned players in the room thinking pretty much what Klein was laying out for them at the moment. Suguha and Silica, as the only two n00b players among them, deferred to their friends' judgment on the matter, knowing that they had been doing this for far longer and knew better. However, the two knew that just because they were greener than the others- quite literally in Suguha's case- it didn't mean that they couldn't pull their own weight in this fight. They weren't going to back down just because it was hard.

"I'm not going to lie to you guys, this isn't going to be easy." Klein looked around the room at his friends, both old and new alike, with a heavy heart that came from his position as Guild Master and comrade-in-arms. Kirito could see he was not happy about having to send his friends into battle, knowing they would face certain death at every turn. Kunimittz' passing was a harsh reminder of what awaited them outside those doors, and the heartbreak at the thought of them meeting the same fate weighed on his soul. "We're up against something the likes of which none of us ever dreamed of facing in our life time. I'm not going to ask you to stay on with the guild if you don't want to, both Kayaba and Sugou made it clear that we don't have to take part in the raids. If you want to act as our suppliers from somewhere like Stormwind or Orgrimmar, I'm not gonna stop you."

**(2) **"Dude, do you even have to say it?" joked Harry in his reverberating voice as he rose to his feet and laid his runesword across his shoulder. "You know we've got your back, bro."

Similar sentiments of brotherhood were echoed by the other longtime members of the guild as they stood to acknowledge their devotion to their friends, save Dynamm, who was kept from raising up again by Isshin. Kirito couldn't help but admire the Warlock's tenacity, even when seriously wounded. Everyone here was willing to lay down their lives for one another, to fight and survive as a team, regardless of the enormity of the obstacles they were facing. He hadn't spent a full day with them, and Kirito knew they were better equipped to face what awaited them than the bulk of the players out there. Smiling to himself, he rose to his feet, Suguha following suit.

"Count me in to," he affirmed sincerely, finally and openly accepting Klein's offer from before. "I know you don't have any reason to, especially after how bad I screwed up back there, but I want to help however I can." From the corner of his eye, Kirito stole a glance at his sister, reminding himself of what he was fighting for and just why he was doing this in the first place. "I know I'm not the first choice for the Fellowship, but Klein," he looked the worgen dead in the eyes as he spoke, "you were the first person I met today that legitimately wanted to help me out, and not just because I was in the beta and show you a way to cheat the system. You were the first person here to call me their "bro," and offer me a place with their friends, and even when I brushed it off, you still kept the offer on the table. You never gave up on me, even back in the forest with the Hozen when I acted like a complete asshole and nearly got us all killed." His fists clenched angrily at the memory, biting his lip to keep from crying out of hatred for his own weakness. "I know I haven't earned it, but if you'll have me, I'll do whatever it takes to help you guys beat this game."

"And wherever Kirito goes, I'll go too," Suguha interjected with an unwavering voice, surprising him by her use of his screen-name without a hint of annoyed sarcasm as she twined her fingers with his own. Her presence alone seemed to give him the strength and resolve to see this through. "Until Dynamm's well enough to fight again, you guys are going to need another healer in your party, right?" Now that surprised Kirito even more, but from the sound of things, she knew what she was talking about. "The specs for my class say I can be a healer and a fighter character when I get to a certain level, so I can give you guys the back-up you need when we're fighting as a team. Besides," she slid her fingers from Kirito's grasp and gave her brother a hug by the shoulder, "in case you haven't noticed, this knucklehead can't go two seconds without getting in some kinda trouble. You need someone to look out for him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid again."

A much needed fit of laughter passed through the otherwise stone-cold serious atmosphere, people who hadn't laughed for hours since Kayaba's tutorial now holding their sides at the antics of the Kirigaya siblings. Face reddening, Kirito did his best to disentangle himself from Suguha's grasp, but was quickly subdued once more as she put him in a headlock until he would submit to her.

"Okay!" he squeaked pathetically, tapping his sister's arm as she tightened her grip to make sure he got the point. "Okay, Sugu' I get it!"

"Are you sure?" Klein teased in-between chuckles, finally starting to compose himself as the laughter in the room began to die down. "No more _"Leeroy"_ from here on out?"

"Yes! Yes! No more Leeroy, I swear!" Satisfied he would stick to that promise, Suguha let go and her brother fell to the floor with a heavy _thud!_ Propping himself up on his hands and knees, Kirito once more sucked in a lung-full of precious air- or at least what qualified as air in virtual reality. As he looked up to glare mockingly at his Troll of a sister, who stuck her tongue out at him while dusting her hands off, he felt another presence beside him and found Klein's hand waiting to pick him up when he turned his head.

"Good to hear it." As the worgen hoisted Kirito to his feet, his hand tightened around Kirito's, the young gamer doing the same to show he wouldn't budge in his resolve or break the promise. "There's no room for a lone wolf in our pack, now more than ever before. Rule #1 in the Fellowship: you don't die for your friends," Klein's eyes were set in a serious demeanor as he stared into Kirito's own, "you _live_ for them. When you're a part of this guild, when you take the Oath of the Crimson Fang, your life and your comrades lives are intertwined. When everything seems like it lies with your sacrifice, remember that there is always a better way, you just have to find it. We clear?"

Kirito nodded as their handshake broke, and meant it with everything he had in him. "Crystal, bro."

A smile returning to the worgen's toothy maw, Klein turned to Agil and offered the Orc his hand. "That offer I gave Kirito is open for you guys as well, if you'd like," he proposed genuinely. "I know you're probably not all that keen on joining any guild other than the Raiders, but still…" Klein cast as sideways glance at Dynamm, currently being tended to by Suguha, who replaced the warm cloth on his head and patted his arm reassuringly. "You went out of your way to rescue one of our own, and protected another player from this nightmare. We already owe you one for the former, but the latter's got me convinced that you'd fit right in with the Fellowship. If you'd like, we definitely have room for another tank in the guild."

Agil was silent for a moment as he weighted Klein's offer, Kirito looking on with interest. However, the orc shook his head as he took the worgen's paw and gave it a firm shake. "Thanks, man, but I gotta pass. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm not flattered or anything, and I'd definitely be up for joinin' you guys sometime soon. It's just…"

The big man's voice trailed off for a second as his gaze settled on Silica, who was snoozing away on the bed opposite Dynamm's with her arm hanging over the side, her turtle lying beside her on the floor as her fingers barely brushed its shell. "There are a lot of kids like her out there," continued Agil heavy-heartedly, "people with no experience in WoW, or VMMOs for that matter. They're gonna need someone who can walk them through the basics if they're gonna survive, someone who knows what they're doing." The warrior rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, shifting his feet. "I know it's not my job to do be that guy, but I can't just walk away from this."

Klein gave an understanding nod, clapping the orc on the shoulder bracingly. "Don't sweat it, bro, I get it. We're gonna be doing pretty much the same thing, but it's cool if you want to help out on your own for a bit. Just, give us a call if you get in a tight spot. Until you're ready, we'll keep your spot in the roster warm for you. Deal?"

Agil smiled contentedly. "Deal."

Leaning against the wall by the window, Kirito surveyed the group before him with a discerning gaze, heart heavy when his eyes came to rest on Suguha. However, seeing her get along with the rest of the guild gave the warrior comfort, and just the fact that she could joke and laugh like she had when playfully abusing him earlier gave him a sliver of hope. The odds stacked against them looked insurmountable from the start. A world out to see them all dead, two psychotic digital demi-gods lording over it and egging them on for their amusement, a shaky time-table at best, and the future unsure. And yet, here, with Klein and Suguha? Among friends to stand by them against those odds?

Kirito felt something within him growing stronger by this action alone, as if the weight he had felt hours ago at Kayaba and Sugou's tutorial had been lightened. And indeed it had, as he was not left to shoulder the burden on his own. Now, it was shared by others, by people he felt and knew that he could trust with such a great responsibility, even having just met them as he had done. Klein, Sugu', Dynamm, Dale, Isshin, Harry, even Agil and Silica.

In just one night, the Fellowship had grown.

And come morning, all of Azeroth would know it.

* * *

**AN:** And so ends "The Tutorial Arc," the introduction to the new death game that is AZO. The gauntlet has been lain down by Kayaba and Sugou, the guilds are gathering and forming against their forces, the Fellowship of the Crimson Fang has gained two new members and suffered its first casualty, and Kirito's resolve has been strengthened. But, will it be enough to weather the coming storm of battle? Can the players survive in the harsh world of AZO? What challenges await them in their quest for freedom? And what of the Death Knight players as Kirito postulated? Can Kayaba and Sugou control them, or are they immune to the call of the Lich King? These questions and more shall be answered in the future, as we jump forward a month to the eve of the threat our heroes must face in the first Raid? Stay tuned to find out as the story develops! Please remember to leave a review if you feel so inclined (constructive criticism is welcome, flames are doused, and trolls are sacrificed to Bwonsamdi or cannibalized, lol), and I'll see you guys next time. Take care out there! EXCELSIOR!

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Next Time, in AZO: **Chapter 4- Silence Before The Storm.**


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